Abstract

Cryptosporidium has been reported in a wide variety of hosts, with C. parvum and C. hominis being responsible for most human infections. Until recently, it has been assumed that farm animals and wild animals are important zoonotic reservoirs for human cryptosporidiosis. However, recent molecular analysis has revealed a wide range of Cryptosporidium species and genotypes infecting both domestic and wild animals, and the epidemiology of cryptosporidiosis is clearly more complicated than was previously thought.